TONY JOHN, Port Harcourt
The 6 Division, Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt, has nabbed three suspected kidnappers in Rivers State.
The suspects, Uche Ibieri (21), Chile Worlu (36) and Destiny Kemka (21), were said to be involved in a series of kidnapping, armed robbery and other heinous crimes that occurred in Emohua Local Government Area and its environs.
The suspects who are natives of Emohua LGA, admitted being responsible for the abduction of a middle-aged woman from her residence in Port Harcourt to their hideout at Rumuekini community in Emohua.
They were paraded at the 6 Division, Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt, where they confessed to committing the crime.
Our correspondent gathered that the bandits were apprehended by soldiers following the escape of the victim from their den, while they were working out a plan to collect ransom from the relatives of the woman, whose identity was not disclosed.
It was further gathered that the hoodlums had demanded N3 million ransom from the woman’s family, after they had withdrawn over N100,000 from her account with an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card.
One of the suspects, Ibieri, confessed: “Last Monday, we kidnapped a lady from Port Harcourt and took her to our hideout at Rumuekini community in Emohua for ransom. We went to her house and kidnapped her with her vehicle and carried her to Emohua bush.
“On Wednesday, she escaped from us before we were later arrested same Wednesday. We collected her ATM and withdrew N118, 000 from her bank account.”
He told journalists that they and others at large were members of a notorious kidnap gang and belonged to Iceland cult group.
Meanwhile, the 6 Division had handed over the suspects to the Rivers State police command for further investigation and arrest of the fleeing gang members.